Friday, 11 September 2009

New Book: Should Christians Embrace Evolution?

In this "Darwin year", we've been exposed to a glut of pro-evolution propaganda from a wide variety of sources. It's not unexpected that the "New Atheist" crowd should rely heavily on Darwin for their goals. What is grievously sad is to see the energetic efforts from groups within evangelical Christianity to promote a pro-Darwin agenda. The motivation and message seems to be that standing up for the Christian church's historic belief in a divine creation ex nihilo (out of nothing) that was accomplished by a supernatural divine word in the comparatively recent past is no longer credible. We don't want to look silly when Professor Dawkins pokes fun at us! These Christian apologists tell us that Darwinism has no theological implications, and can be reconciled with the book of Genesis easily.

On that particular matter, though, the "New Atheists" are right. The attempt to shoe-horn macro-evolution into the Bible, and the idea that where we came from has no meaning, is intellectual suicide. The methods of Bible interpretation used turn the Bible into a nose of wax that can be shaped to say anything you please. That really does make us look silly.

Neither is the effort to make peace with Darwin scientifically necessary. We live in times when Darwin's knowledge of biology has been vastly superceded. The fossil record and modern genetics falsify Darwin's theory again and again. Darwinism retains its place in the academy only because of the unthinkable nature of the alternative to the modern secular mind. To jump on this horse now, when the simplest analysis can show you that it's got three broken legs and has already been shot, is not a good move. And certainly not a necessary one!

And now for the good news. Here's the intellectual ammunition, Biblical, theological and scientific, to show you why you can answer the question "Should Christians Embrace Evolution" with a decisive "No!". Here's the book for the layman which explains the issues in a way that is careful easy to follow, and that covers all the bases.

Published by Intervarsity Press and edited by Professor Norman C. Nevin - an international expert in genetics - the editors include theologians and scientists; including on the scientific side leading experts and PhDs in genetics, immunology, thermodynamics, chemistry and geology (including four professors and a senior research fellow). The theological side is no less weighty, with chapters from writers who hold positions in UCCF, denominational apologetics committees, Bible colleges and very well known pastors. And (drum roll) your friend in the Rift Valley. Oh yes!

The preface says,

In the face of the new atheists’ claim that evolution has rendered faith utterly redundant there is a flood tide arising that demands that Christians must embrace evolution or acknowledge that they are opposed to science. This book believes that this is a false premise. It is written to set out a clear theological framework on the relevant issues and to confront the questions that this gives rise to. It is written with a compelling conviction that science and faith are not in opposition. It is written by theologians who are committed to the authority of Scripture and to the exercise of careful exegesis. It is written by scientists who are fully persuaded of the importance of rigorous scientific investigation but who are dissatisfied with the arbitrary exclusion of possible conclusions and the failure to follow the evidence wherever it leads. This is not written for a select readership that already has expert knowledge of the subjects. It is written for ordinary men and women, who have the capacity to weigh the information, seek further clarification and draw their own conclusions.